Ask a car salesman anything...anything at all.
Discussion
Lazadude said:
Sheepshanks said:
Bit odd that it's still got priority lights and sirens fitted.
Any idea what all the buttons are for? I take it siren/lights is controlled by the walkie talkie thing on the left?The middle with rockers etc? Fire suppressant? Ejector seat/Rocket launchers?
The buttons in the middle could be anything .. probably an engine run lock and fire suppressant system, maybe also a lock for the gunsafe in the boot
It’s not a build I’ve seen on police prot vehicles though
Are these cheeky chappies typical of the independent dealer genre?
https://youtu.be/qEMWsEfJhdo?t=312
https://youtu.be/qEMWsEfJhdo?t=312
Powerfully Built Company Director said:
Fast Bug said:
There have been some interesting threads on these guys on several forums. There's not a barge pole long enough for them
That's interesting, and makes me feel somewhat better (or less unique in my mistakes, anyway). I will do some deeper sleuthing then just to wallow in my angst. I do recall finding a car dealer review site, albeit after the pain had already started with them. While I did not contribute myself for fear of giving the vendor more muck to throw back at me, it sometimes felt like I was having an out of body experience with some of the other punters who had gone before me. The words they had typed could have been my own. Fine we all have off days and sometimes fail to meet other peoples expectations and sometimes even our own expectations of ourselves, but... at what point does the trail of s
te indicate a behaviour, and the behaviour part of your modus operandi for doing business. Another question for the trade actually please, to what extent do you care about dedicated car dealer review websites? Are they any more meaningful or influential on your reputation than atypical reviews on google, facebook etc? Or will punters always be punters, and screamers gonna scream?
QuartzDad said:
Earthdweller said:
I’m surprised that is being offered for sale in the UK, if it’s fully ballistically protected then they are normally offered for sale only outside the EU as not being allowed to be sold to individuals in the EU
Bold bit - why is it banned?Fast Bug said:
It may have been pulled, but there was a thread on here about a guy that bought an Escort RS Turbo (I think) from them. It broke down on the way home in it and that was the first of his troubles from memory
Mine wasn't much better. I was 7/10 screamer mode by the end of it, and had to trundle off to the courts. This went on for months. All sorts of insanity, claiming things were not in his terms and conditions when they were clearly published on his website. Had to send him screenshots with bbc news up in the background to convince him what his own Ts&Cs were. Felt like I was providing proof of life for a hostage negotiation. Just potty. The proprietor was 9/10 hairdryer mode back at me from the moment I tried to raise there was a problem. I think the guy must have a folder full of templates of 5,000 word essays to send people who try to ask for help post delivery and under warranty, he just never stops. I think the tactic was (and probably still is) to just grind people down until they give up, or die of natural causes.
There is a special circle in hell for SpecialistCars.net.
4941cc said:
QuartzDad said:
Earthdweller said:
I’m surprised that is being offered for sale in the UK, if it’s fully ballistically protected then they are normally offered for sale only outside the EU as not being allowed to be sold to individuals in the EU
Bold bit - why is it banned?There are exceptions to some HNW individuals/companies and other govts etc
But, in general you don’t want Wayne the drug dealer enforcing his patch in a ballistically protected vehicle
Earthdweller said:
4941cc said:
QuartzDad said:
Earthdweller said:
I’m surprised that is being offered for sale in the UK, if it’s fully ballistically protected then they are normally offered for sale only outside the EU as not being allowed to be sold to individuals in the EU
Bold bit - why is it banned?There are exceptions to some HNW individuals/companies and other govts etc
But, in general you don’t want Wayne the drug dealer enforcing his patch in a ballistically protected vehicle
You can own and drive a tank in the UK if you want to (and have the right category driving licence).
Sheepshanks said:
That sounds like nonsense to me. Who decides which HNW individuals are OK and which aren't?
You can own and drive a tank in the UK if you want to (and have the right category driving licence).
Just guessing, but I assume you would have to fulfil multiple criteria. So being a HNW individual wouldn't be enough, I expect you would have to be HNW and have had enough aggro or threats that the police feel there are credible and ongoing threats to your safety, so the vehicle would form part of a wider plan. So if the police seemed to be sending cars to your property once a week due to nutters trying to scale the fences, it might be viewed more sympathetically for example? You can own and drive a tank in the UK if you want to (and have the right category driving licence).
And I am sure there are different grades of protective vehicle too. Lets face it an S Class with some kevlar in the doors isn't going to hold a candle to the Queen's vehicle in terms of protection.
This is all guesswork, mind, so could be complete tosh.
Powerfully Built Company Director said:
Sheepshanks said:
That sounds like nonsense to me. Who decides which HNW individuals are OK and which aren't?
You can own and drive a tank in the UK if you want to (and have the right category driving licence).
Just guessing, but I assume you would have to fulfil multiple criteria. So being a HNW individual wouldn't be enough, I expect you would have to be HNW and have had enough aggro or threats that the police feel there are credible and ongoing threats to your safety, so the vehicle would form part of a wider plan. So if the police seemed to be sending cars to your property once a week due to nutters trying to scale the fences, it might be viewed more sympathetically for example? You can own and drive a tank in the UK if you want to (and have the right category driving licence).
And I am sure there are different grades of protective vehicle too. Lets face it an S Class with some kevlar in the doors isn't going to hold a candle to the Queen's vehicle in terms of protection.
This is all guesswork, mind, so could be complete tosh.
Also mentioning Kevlar doors - the house we grew up in was a Police Mans before we bought it. My dad was putting a letter box, or at least trying to, for a few days before he realized it was a bomb proof door with kevlar plates between to slabs of mahogany (among other security upgrades carried out, the house was epic for a game of army as a kid!)
Toyoda said:
Are these cheeky chappies typical of the independent dealer genre?
https://youtu.be/qEMWsEfJhdo?t=312
My wife got one of her old cars from there, they bought it back from her at a decent price a well.https://youtu.be/qEMWsEfJhdo?t=312
Toyoda said:
Are these cheeky chappies typical of the independent dealer genre?
https://youtu.be/qEMWsEfJhdo?t=312
What did they say?https://youtu.be/qEMWsEfJhdo?t=312
mylesmcd said:
I would agree with the above. I grew up in Northern Ireland (on the boarder) My fathers business was in an industrial estate where there were high target businesses also (they made concrete products for the RUC/Army barracks and were therefore deemed as a target) the guy who owned the company had a VW Passat with the full RUC Spec armor and two body guards with him at all times.
That's a bit different to the assertion that you're not allowed to own a protected vehicle (but there's an excepton if you've got a few bob).I don't know - maybe it is true? But it sounds like nonsense.
Sheepshanks said:
That's a bit different to the assertion that you're not allowed to own a protected vehicle (but there's an excepton if you've got a few bob).
I don't know - maybe it is true? But it sounds like nonsense.
It certainly does sound silly given that you can buy a tank or APC and drive it on the road with the right licence. I don't know - maybe it is true? But it sounds like nonsense.
Maybe they just take some of the "tech" out before they go back on sale?
Sheepshanks said:
Earthdweller said:
4941cc said:
QuartzDad said:
Earthdweller said:
I’m surprised that is being offered for sale in the UK, if it’s fully ballistically protected then they are normally offered for sale only outside the EU as not being allowed to be sold to individuals in the EU
Bold bit - why is it banned?There are exceptions to some HNW individuals/companies and other govts etc
But, in general you don’t want Wayne the drug dealer enforcing his patch in a ballistically protected vehicle
You can own and drive a tank in the UK if you want to (and have the right category driving licence).
Sheepshanks said:
mylesmcd said:
I would agree with the above. I grew up in Northern Ireland (on the boarder) My fathers business was in an industrial estate where there were high target businesses also (they made concrete products for the RUC/Army barracks and were therefore deemed as a target) the guy who owned the company had a VW Passat with the full RUC Spec armor and two body guards with him at all times.
That's a bit different to the assertion that you're not allowed to own a protected vehicle (but there's an excepton if you've got a few bob).I don't know - maybe it is true? But it sounds like nonsense.
I am sure there is a flow chart somewhere for it.
As this gent was supplying the UK Government, part of his contract would almost certainly be protection detail and the right to drive a bomb proof car etc etc
It is the same as all the DUP, high rank army and Police over there, but it is a 'special case'
I'm not sure there is anything specifically preventing the sale of armoured cars to members of the public in the UK. I can't see how it would be illegal to armour your own car if you wanted to? As long as you could afford to do it legitimately.
The most likely scenario is...
They're pretty expensive, and as the UK is relatively safe only generally bought by police/armed forces (possibly more of a private market in NI than the mainland?). As they're mostly government owned, they can decide how they're disposed of / who they're sold to. Hence MoD auctions for these vehicles being "export only".
And the companies that make them will want to stay on the right side of the government bodies so will probably choose not to sell them to drug dealers and the like.
There are also potential issues around type approval, which isn't required for emergency services vehicles. So some vehicles might not be road legal unless they're for emergency services use.
The most likely scenario is...
They're pretty expensive, and as the UK is relatively safe only generally bought by police/armed forces (possibly more of a private market in NI than the mainland?). As they're mostly government owned, they can decide how they're disposed of / who they're sold to. Hence MoD auctions for these vehicles being "export only".
And the companies that make them will want to stay on the right side of the government bodies so will probably choose not to sell them to drug dealers and the like.
There are also potential issues around type approval, which isn't required for emergency services vehicles. So some vehicles might not be road legal unless they're for emergency services use.
Edited by blank on Thursday 6th June 20:02
mylesmcd said:
I am sure there is a flow chart somewhere for it.
As this gent was supplying the UK Government, part of his contract would almost certainly be protection detail and the right to drive a bomb proof car etc etc
It is the same as all the DUP, high rank army and Police over there, but it is a 'special case'
"I wanted a test drive in an armoured E-Class but imagine my disappointment when I got there to find that the sales manager had taken it home for the weekend and they could only offer me a quick spin round the block in a bulletproof S-class"
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